Affirmative Action in a Post-Racial Corporate World

The overall economic picture for blacks is not good. The unemployment rate for blacks is 13.8%, while for whites it is only 7%. Many conferees

Poverty and homelessness are serious issues in the U.S. today, especially because of the current recession, with levels of poverty and unemployment higher than at any time since the 1930s. Blacks and Hispanics are being affected disproportionately by homelessness, as well as poverty and unemployment in American society. This is just another example of the racial caste system and institutional racism that goes far beyond that of social class, and has always been the case in recessions and indeed with every other social and economic problem in American history. Even though the country elected a black president in 2008, wealth and incomes for minority groups, which were already far lower than whites, have been in severe decline for the past few years (Baumann 2001). Compared to the trillions of dollars in federal assistance that has been extended to the large financial institutions from TARP and the Federal Reserve, programs to aid the poor and homeless have been very inadequate, and are even being cut back on the local, state and federal levels.

Generations of families have suffered due unequal laws or prejudices set in place to prevent minorities from growing. Slavery, segregation, separate but equal laws, the trail of tears, failing ESOL classes, unequal pay and so much more effect today's youth and causing history to change slowly if at all. Affirmative action has good intentions and is very much needed in today's world however it sometimes fails doing what it was created to do.

Affirmative action has been around for decades. Some believe it isn’t fair but others do. Those who believe and agree with affirmative action tend to say, “The principle of affirmative action is to promote societal equality through the preferential treatment of socioeconomically disadvantaged people” (Bidmead, Andrew pg 3). Others that disagree with it and find it unfair simply see it as another form of discrimination, giving one group extra advantages based upon nothing but their skin color (Cline, Austin pg 1). I believe that affirmative action is indeed fair because it gives minorities a better chance at having a successful career in their near future.

Affirmative Action is an employment legislation protection system that is intended to address the systemized discrimination faced by women and minorities. It achieves this by enforcing diversity through operational intrusions into recruitment, selection, and other personnel functions and practices in America. Originally, Affirmative Action arose because of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s desire to integrate society on educational, employment, and economic levels, yet it was John F. Kennedy who issued Executive Order 10925 to create the Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, a commission that evolved into our modern Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

The recent rioting in Ferguson, Missouri has really put things in a different perspective regarding the treatment of African Americans. The protesting has called attention to the ghastly reality that African Americans still face an ongoing struggle and receive inferior treatment. Violent events occurring years after the 1960 's Civil Rights Movement—from the beating of Rodney King to the homicide of Trayvon Martin and the countless crimes in between—all reveal evidence of how African Americans are victims of injustices. While substantial progress has occurred in obtaining equality for African Americans during the last five decades, African Americans still battle discrimination on a daily basis in which they fall victim to degrading

Race-based affirmative action has been challenged by a great deal of objection during the course of it duration. According to its opponents, Affirmative action proves to be inconsistent. Affirmative action based on race increases race consciousness instead of supporting color-blind justice. By giving people special consideration to ensure equality, it contributes to inequality. The constitution of the United States calls for equal treatment, therefore, allowing racial consideration poses a contradiction.

Daryl Michael Scott argues that African Americans lived a damaged life in the post-World War II era and E Franklin Frazier’s “Black Bourgeoisie” shows exactly how damaging it was. The black bourgeoisie were middle class African American’s who went through many extremes to dissociate themselves as blacks and “be accepted as anything other than African American” (734). There were many reasons why the black bourgeoisie were damaged, but the main reasons why their social and psychological lives were damaged were because of four categorical problems. The black bourgeoisie lived in oppression, they lived with many insecurities and frustrations, developed self-hatred and feelings of guilt, and were unfortunately physically and mentally delusional. These were the main ideas Frazier pointed out in his work “Black Bourgeoisie.”

Among the 13.4 million low-income families with children, 22 percent are African Americans (HHS, 2015). The average median household income for an African American family was $36, 515 in 2015, which was $24, 879 less than a non-Hispanic family’s income (HHS, 2015). The data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated that there was 25.4 percent African Americans living below the poverty level, two times more than that of non-Hispanic Caucasians (HHS, 2015). A direct cause of poverty among African Americans is unemployment. By 2015, the unemployment rate for African Americans was 11.4 percent, which was twice than that of non-Hispanic Caucasians (HHS,

Not only is it abnormally difficult to keep your life as an African American residing in the US, but it is also challenging to make a living. Blacks are less likely to be hired and this has negative repercussions that influence them for the rest of their lives. “Their unemployment rate is higher, and so is the level of poverty within the black community. In 2013, the poverty rate among white Americans was 9.6 percent, among black Americans it was 27.2 percent.” (Gillian White) Because of racial prejudices towards African Americans they are less likely to be hired, which in turn means the poverty rate for African-Americans is much higher than for whites. If African Americans do not have jobs they do not have money, and if they have kids their kids do not get into as

Throughout America there are many different views on the effects of affirmative action. Many see it as a negative policy which gives an unnecessary advantage to minorities in America. In a 2009 Pew Poll, “58% of African Americans agree” and only “22% whites agree” that there should be “preferential treatment to improve the position of blacks and other minorities” ("Public Backs Affirmative Action”).

In the United States justice is defined as equal treatment of all its citizens under the law. When one citizen is mistreated an injustice has been committed against all people. Affirmative Action is a program whose purpose is to make sure that citizens are treated equally by enforcing a set of policies which are designed to promote the inclusion of all individuals regardless of race, disability, sex, or religion. In the United States democracy we are all equal, but some groups have been enjoying more advantages in society than others for centuries. Current statistics show the depth of modern day racial gaps, which are rooted in historical discrimination and modern-day structural racism. Generations of nominal disadvantages have created

In the 1960s when minorities and whites were equal according to the constitution but unequal in reality, a program was needed to level the playing field. Thus the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created and prohibited discrimination. It marked the beginning of a debate that has been going on for nearly a half of a century. Affirmative action needs to be reevaluated in educational settings in light of current needs.

On March 6, 1961 President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925, which included a provision that government contractors "take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” Affirmative Action policies have always been controversial, largely because of the allegation that they cause employers to give preference in hiring to less-qualified minorities or females over more-qualified white males.

As a senior in high school, college becomes more of a reality to me- meaning the hunt for the perfect university is approaching...fast. But, the real question is, what do I look for when it comes to my dream college? To my surprise, it’s not the typical campus size issue, but rather it was racial diversity. The bottom line is, I do not want to be placed in a class where I am surrounded by a herd of just one specific race: African-American, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Caucasian, etc., simply because it hinders my learning experience due to feeling constantly uncomfortable. Think of it this way, imagine yourself in a room full of the Caucasian race, and you are a Hispanic- the only Hispanic, how uncomfortable would you feel? However, if an individual was seated in a class with rich cultural diversity, more students would excell and feel less tension in the room because they would not feel like an outcast. Speaking for myself, as a Hispanic, I would feel much more comfortable knowing that there were various other races besides one; I would not feel like the “elephant” in the room.